Communications service providers, such as telephone companies, are required to provide a demarcation between the service provider's incoming wiring, referred to herein as the feeder cable, and the subscriber wiring, referred to herein as the distribution cable, at the subscriber premises. The demarcation is typically provided by termination equipment housed within an enclosure, referred to herein as a network interface device (NID), mounted outside the subscriber premises. As a result, the NID is exposed to adverse environmental conditions, such as wind-driven dust, sand and wind. The NID includes a base mounted to a wall or other structure outside the subscriber premises and a protective outer cover attached to the base that is movable between a closed position and an opened position. The NID also provides direct access to the wiring connections between the network and the subscriber for installation, reconfiguration and test operations. The termination equipment, such as one or more line modules, protected terminating devices (PTDs) or electronic Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs), is mounted on the base within an interior cavity defined by the NID. In many instances, the NID also includes a lockable inner cover that prevents unauthorized access to the service provider's portion of the termination equipment.
The outer cover protects the termination equipment and the wiring connections within the NID from adverse environmental conditions, such as moisture, dirt, dust, and infestation. In particular, the outer cover protects the termination equipment and the wiring connections from wind-driven dust, sand and moisture that results from rain, sleet, and melting snow. The NID is typically made of sheet metal or molded plastic material that is formed such that the NID is substantially airtight and watertight. Accordingly, conventional NID designs are capable of protecting the termination equipment and wiring connections in standard dust, sand and rain tests. Recently, however, more sever tests, and in particular the Telcordia GR-49-CORE sand/dust test and the GR-487-CORE wind-driven rain test, have been proposed as a standard requirement for all new outdoor NID products. In most instances, conventional NIDs may be modified to meet these more severe tests with the addition of an elastomeric gel, seal or gasket that is positioned between the mating surfaces of the base and the outer cover. The addition of a gel, seal or gasket, however, typically requires a costly change in the mold tool for the base and/or the outer cover. Furthermore, the addition of a gel, seal or gasket unnecessarily increases the material, manufacturing, and assembly costs associated with the NID.
Thus, it is highly desirable to provide an environmental seal for a NID that protects the termination equipment and the wiring connections housed within the NID from adverse environmental conditions, and in particular, from wind-driven dust, sand and moisture that results from rain, sleet, and melting snow. It is further desirable to provide an environmental seal for a NID that meets a more severe wind-driven dust, sand or rain test. It is still further desirable to provide such an environmental seal without the addition of an elastomeric gel, seal or gasket positioned between the mating surfaces of the base and the outer cover so that a change in the mold tool for the base or the outer cover and the associated increases in manufacturing, material, and assembly costs for the NID are avoided.